The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trekscience fiction
franchise. Being introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next
Generation episode "The
Wounded", the species originating from the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime, and
were the dominant species in an interplanetary empire known as the
Cardassian Union, ruling over other species,
including the Bajorans, during the 24th century. The
Cardassians later played a key role in the storyline of the series
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where they feature as allies
of the Dominion in the Dominion War, and in
which several Cardassian characters, including Garak and Gul
Dukat, feature quite prominently.

The Cardassians were conceived by the writers to provide an
enemy race with whom the protagonists could interact, unlike the Borg, where
such drama is difficult due to their lack of personality and
individualism.

Biology

Cardassians are humanoid in form, but have distinctive ridged
arches connecting their shoulders to the tops of their necks. They
also have ridges on either side of their foreheads, ridges
surrounding their eyes, and protrusions on their chins and below
their noses. Moreover, they display spoon-shaped features starting in the centers of
their foreheads and running down the lengths of their noses. This
has earned them the derogatory name of "spoonheads." The spoon
shape is also on their chest. The "Star Trek: DS9-Millennium" novel
trilogy revealed the spoon feature served as a type of umbilical
membrane before birth. It was revealed that ancient humanoids
genetically influenced the evolution of the Cardassians, Klingons,
Romulans, and Humans, but each race still evolved from earlier life
forms (apes for humans, crustaceans for Klingons, etc) (cf.
The Chase).

Gul Dukat

Their skin is tan or gray in color and hair is dark brown or
black. Their eye color is usually dark-brown, however there are
some exceptions to this rule, such as Gul Dukat and Garak, who have
blue eyes. Since scale patterns on Cardassian necks have been shown
to change from appearance to appearance (Garak, for example),
makeup artist Michael Westmore has theorized in a
2005 issue of Star Trek Insider that Cardassians
continually shed and regrow scales. In the episode Profit and
Loss, an intimate encounter between Quark and his starcrossed
lover Natima Lang displayed that stroking the neck ridges of a
Cardassian female produces an erogenous reaction. Whether this is
true for males has not been explored. Female Cardassians have
blue-tinted spots on their neck ridges and forehead.

Compared to humans, Bajorans, and many other humanoid races,
Cardassians prefer warmer and darker climates. Elim Garak once
noted that Deep Space Nine's environment was very cold and very
bright by Cardassian standards.

Cardassians have a wide variety of food and drink that they
enjoy:

In the mornings, Cardassians like to drink hot fish juice,
served in a mug and drunk rather than eaten with a spoon. Most
other races find it a vile concoction. (DS9: "Trials and
Tribble-ations")

Kanar is a popular alcoholic beverage on Cardassia. It comes in
a variety of colors and textures. Among aliens the drink takes some
getting used to. (TNG: "The
Wounded")

Larish pie is often eaten as a dessert. Other races
(coincidentally, Bajorans
are included) also enjoy it. (DS9: "The
Storyteller")

Popular food dishes include taspar eggs (always served boiled,
as most races find it inedible when raw), tojal, zabo meat, and
sem'hal stew (often eaten with yamok sauce). (TNG: "Chain of
Command")

Culture

Cardassians tend to be predatory in nature, like wolf packs,
always seeking out the dominant position in any social gathering.
In normal courting behavior, Cardassian couples routinely act
bitter and snap at each other. Cardassian society generally
exhibits little or no gender bias; for example, both men and women
can rise to high ranks in the military. However, some fields are
not so diverse, such as the scientific community which is mostly
female. (It was implied in the episode "Destiny" that males are
inept at engineering endeavors, but this could be just bias:
probably most males take up military careers, leaving the
scientific field open to women.)

Cardassia's educational system is legendary throughout the
quadrant. From a very young age, Cardassian children are trained in
techniques such as photographic
memory which allow them to retain vast amounts of information.
Cardassian mental disciplines are rumored to be so complete that a
Cardassian will prove almost totally resistant to torture; a Vulcanmind
meld is also usually ineffective against a Cardassian who is
properly trained.

When representatives of the science ministry visited DS9 in "Destiny", they were noticeably less
nationalistic than most Cardassians seen previously.

They are generally cunning and suspicious. This is evident in
battle, as evidenced in "Soldiers of the Empire" in which
a Klingon speaks admiringly
of Cardassian adversaries who always had 'a plan within a plan
within a plan leading to a trap'. A popular Cardassian board game
is 'Kotra', which, as Garak describes it, favors bold tactical
manoeuvres over defensive play; hence Garak's criticism of Nog's attempts to regroup his pieces
during a game they played in the episode "Empok Nor".

In Cardassian criminal trials the defendant is presumed guilty
and in fact the punishment is already decided before the trial
begins; the purpose of the trial (effectively a show trial) is merely to
help the defendant acknowledge his wrongdoing. In Cardassian
mystery novels, everyone is always guilty, the puzzle being to work
out who is guilty of what. In Cardassian mythology the
Galor deity was a helmeted, warrior demi-god of antiquity.
Tribute is paid to the vessel class of the same name as well as the
likeness seen in the national symbol.

Cardassians are also very concerned about their families. For
example, Garak enters a Dominion prison camp to
speak with his father, Enabran Tain, one last time before Tain
died. In another incident Gul Dukat is driven insane when his
daughter Tora Ziyal dies. In Cardassian society,
advanced age is seen as a symbol of power and dignity; in
Cardassian families, it is common for many generations to live
together under one roof. And most Cardassians also make sure that
they look after both their children and parents with equal
devotion. Also, an old Cardassian tradition is that of
shri-tal, an ancient ritual in which a dying person
reveals his or her secrets to the rest of the family, for use
against their enemies.

Cardassian literature often confounds humans, and vice-versa.
For example, humans see all Cardassian mystery stories as having an
identical plot: the inevitable result is that all the suspects are
eventually proved guilty of the crime and proving the supremacy of
the state. One of their most revered forms of literature is the
repetitive epic, which traces a family throughout history, focusing
on each generation's virtually identical allegiance to the state.
(see: "The Never-ending Sacrifice", one such epic in Elim Garak's
collection. The fictional plot focuses on the protagonist's
lifelong duty and commitment set against the "oppressive tyranny"
of the Klingon Empire.)

Conversely, most Cardassians figure out during the first act of
Shakespeare's Julius
Caesar that all the conspirators are going to kill him,
but cannot understand why Caesar cannot figure this out (or is
willfully blind to an impending coup d'état) until the knives are literally
coming at him from all directions. Likewise, Agatha Christie books
cause Cardassians great difficulty, as, whilst the idea that a high
ranking person is killed in mysterious circumstances appeals, they
cannot understand why only one person is the murderer.

Obsidian
Order

The Obsidian Order is a Cardassian intelligence organization in
the fictional Star Trek
universe. Security Chief Odo of Deep Space Nine
remarked that it was one of the most brutally efficient
organizations in the galaxy. It even rivaled that of the RomulanTal Shiar. The Order kept
very close tabs on all Cardassian citizens to ensure loyalty, and
was greatly feared. It was said that the average Cardassian could
not sit down to dinner without the contents of the said meal being
noted and logged by the Order. Odo also noted that the Order caused
people to disappear for even less than
eating something of which the Order did not approve, although this
statement may have just been an exaggeration for effect. The
Obsidian Order's agent training program is so advanced that they
are made immune to most forms of interrogation, including Vulcanmind
melds.

The Obsidian Order frequently clashed with Central Command (the
Cardassian military), partly because even the highest ranking
Command officers are not immune from Order inquiries. Elim Garak was a member
of the Order, before being exiled from Cardassia to Deep Space
Nine by his father, Enabran Tain. Tain had retired for a time,
the only director to ever live long enough to do so. Garak became
an ally of the Federation who used his
knowledge to aid them in the war against the Dominion. In 2371, the Obsidian
Order and their Romulan
equivalent, the Tal Shiar, allied in an attempt to destroy
the Dominion. To this end, the Order began stockpiling a fleet of
ships, albeit illegally without the approval of Cardassian Central
Command – According to the Cardassian governmental charter, the
Order is expressly forbidden from developing or possessing military
equipment of any kind, which includes warships and possibly
starships in general. (DS9: "Defiant") The
plan, originated by Tain, involved a fleet of cloaked Romulan and
Cardassian vessels traversing into the heart of Dominion territory
in the Gamma
Quadrant where they would annihilate the homeworld of the Founders.

The Founders soon learned of the plan and saw it as an
opportunity to eliminate the two dangerous organizations. When the
Romulan/Cardassian fleet arrived at the Founders' homeworld, they
bombarded it, only to realize that the planet was deserted except
for a token beacon. Moments later, the Dominion sprung the trap
they arranged and a fleet of 150 Jem'Hadar fighters emerged from hiding in a
nearby nebula and proceeded to wipe out the fleet. At least a few
Romulan and Cardassian officers survived to be taken prisoner. Tain
himself survived for two years in a Dominion internment camp before
dying of heart failure. The disastrous results of this attack (and
perhaps fear that the Order had clearly become too independent) led
to the downfall of the Obsidian Order. The downfall of the Obsidian
Order is thought to have contributed to a political shakeup that
led to the renewed empowerment of the Detapa Council. This in turn
paved the way for invasion of Cardassia by the Klingon Empire and eventual Dominion
membership. After Cardassia joined the Dominion, an organization
similar to the Obsidian was formed, which was called the Cardassian
Intelligence Bureau.

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Military
ranks

Cardassian military ranks are similar to those used by the United Federation of
Planets, but with some key differences. For example a Legate is
similar to an Admiral, but with considerably more political
sway.

The Cardassian Central Command uses a system of hierarchical
ranks, which is the same for all branches of the service. A garresh
is the lowest-ranked soldier, the rank where all new recruits
start. Garresh make up the vast bulk of the military. They are
individually ranked on a five-number scale. The lowest commissioned
rank is that of gil (sometimes seen as kel), followed by glinn,
dalin, dal, and gul.

Officers must generally hold a rank of at least glinn to be
given command of a department on board a starship or within a unit.
Larger vessels and units require dalin or dal level officers. Guls
are the rough equivalent of Starfleet captains. They are the
majority of the commanding officers in Central Command, controlling
starships and bases, and serving as prefects and planetary
governors throughout the client worlds of the Union. Many guls are
quite influential, building up extensive vesala networks. Jaguls
and Legates are the equivalent of Starfleet admirals, commanding
entire Battalions and Orders.[1]

The Cardassian military is divided into Enlisted ranks,
Commissioned ranks and Flag ranks. Gorrs and Garreshs belong to the
Enlisted ranks. Gils, Glinns, Dalins, Dals and Guls belong to the
Commissioned ranks. Jaguls and Legates belong to the Flag ranks. To
see a comparison between the militaries of the Cardassians', the
Romulans' and the Federations', follow the link.[2]

Cardassian Ranks

Gorr

Gorr is one of the lowest named ranks in use in the 24th
century by the Cardassian Guard agency of the Cardassian Central
Command.

Garresh

Garresh make up the vast bulk of the military. Garresh is an
enlisted title which is approximately equivalent to a
non-commissioned officer of comparable military or naval service
organizations, such as Starfleet.

Gil

Gil (sometimes seen as Kel) is an officer rank which is
approximately equivalent to an ensign of Starfleet. Gil is either a
non-commissioned officer or junior officer rank. Space stations
typically carry enough lifeboats only for personnel down to, and
including, the rank of Gil.

Glinn

Glinn is an officer rank which is approximately equivalent to a
lieutenant of Starfleet. Glinn is a staff officer rank.

Dalin

Dalin is an officer rank title which is approximately
equivalent to a lieutenant commander. The title of dalin was in use
in the 24th century by the Cardassian Guard agency of the
Cardassian Central Command.

Dal

Dal is an officer rank title which is approximately equivalent
to a commander.

Gul

Gul is an officer rank title which is approximately equivalent
to a ship's captain. Gul is a command officer rank. Guls hold
command ranging in size from vessels to Orders (approx. 500,000
personnel).

Jagul

Jagul is a flag officer rank which is approximately equivalent
to a commodore or rear admiral.

Legate

Legate is a 24th century Cardassian officer rank title which is
approximately equivalent to an admiral. Legate is the highest rank
in the Cardassian military, and while it resembles the rank of
Admiral in some respects, it is more of a political position than a
rank. Since the Cardassian government is a military-controlled
stratocracy, Legates serve both military and governmental functions
simultaneously.

Technology

Known Cardassian starships include the Galor-class
warship, a medium-sized cruiser which, throughout The Next
Generation, was the most powerful vessel in Cardassian
service. The Galor continued to act as the backbone of the
Cardassian fleet throughout the events of Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine. Ships of this type are armed with a large phaser cannon
(possibly a plasma cannon). They are also armed with numerous
secondary phaser cannons mounted at other points across the hull,
and they may carry a complement of photon
torpedoes.

Although no clear indication of the true strength of a Galor
class vessel has ever been given, they are shown to be weaker than
the Galaxy class ships used by the Federation Starfleet (The Wounded).

According to Trekkies with an eye for detail, it is
unclear how a fleet of such ships would be powerful enough to
seriously threaten the Federation. However, since Cardassian
culture is heavily influenced by their military, the Galor class
must be a more dangerous opponent than its television appearances
make it seem, or Cardassian captains may display exceptional
tactical cunning. Also, in the words of Joseph Stalin, "Quantity has a quality
all of its own" - a large number of average Cardassian ships might
overpower a small number of superior Federation vessels.

Technical descriptions indicate that Cardassian ships were
designed to act in packs rather than as single ships, unlike the
Federation's counterparts.

It has been speculated that the Galor Class (and perhaps the
entire Cardassian fleet) was, at some point after its introduction,
upgraded. Or the Cardassian Union could have focused its fleet's
efforts on very narrow portions of space, while the Federation
requires its fleet to cover more territory and defend more borders
than the Union.

A more powerful Cardassian ship is the Keldon class starship
(which is similar to the Galor-class with more defined aft
wings and a large trapezoidal pod atop the main hull). This ship
class is assumed to be comparable to the Galaxy-class in
tactical capability; why they have not been seen in greater numbers
is uncertain. As seen in later Deep Space Nine episodes, the
Galaxy-class vessel was produced far in excess of its original run,
so it does seem odd that the similarly advanced Keldon did
not appear as often. The Cardassian Obsidian Order kept
a fleet of Keldon class starships which were used in
conjunction with the RomulanTal
Shiar during the sneak attack in the Omarion Nebula.

The Cardassians have also been known to operate small attack
craft such as the Hideki class scout. It is a small attack
craft composed of a semi-elliptical fore with a short aft extension
ending in a pincer-shaped disruptor weapon. Due to the ship's
limited offensive power the Hideki class is confined to border
patrol duties during peace time. During the Dominion War the class
was present in several major conflicts, they operate in large
groups and swarm enemy ships, this allows them to overpower much
heavier vessels.

All Cardassian warships seen so far are painted ochre, and have backwards-swept delta winged
hulls (resembling an ankh); the delta wings resemble fins, giving
the Cardassian ships the appearance of predatory rays.

Cardassian computers utilize data encoded on isolinear rods, in
contrast to discs used for similar purposes by human-designed
computers.

Cardassia
Prime

Cardassia Prime from high orbit

The Cardassians' homeworld, Cardassia Prime
(also known simply as "Cardassia"), is the seventh
Class-M planet of its system. The planet's climate is warmer than
that preferred by several species—human and Bajoran characters, among others, make comments
throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's run about Cardassians'
preference for heat, while characters like Elim Garak complain about the
uncomfortably cool temperatures preferred by non-Cardassians. Its
landscape is often arid, though animal and plant life are still
plentiful on the surface.

History

Pre-Dominion membership

In The Next Generation episode Chain of Command, David
Warner's character states that in Cardassia's early history,
its inhabitants were a peaceful and spiritual people. In the days
of the First Hebitian Civilization, the Cardassians collected works
of art from all over the Alpha Quadrant and
the planet boasted a vast wealth of art and culture; the people
were said to have elaborate burial vaults with unimaginable
treasures. However, Cardassia's lack of natural resources caused terrible famine, and the Hebitian
civilization fell into decay. Its ruins were plundered by starving
Cardassians who sought to sell whatever they could to provide for
themselves. A military dictatorship soon came
to power, building fleets of warships and invading nearby worlds.
Of particular note is Bajor which was occupied for fifty years,
and the end of whose occupation
destabilized the Cardassian government and formed a key story-arc
for Deep Space Nine episodes.. Cardassia has been
warp-capable since Earth date 1952 CE.

The date of first contact between the Cardassians and Starfleet
is unknown, but is likely to have occurred mid-to-late 22nd
Century, as a Cardassian exile, Iloja of Prim, lived on Vulcan
during that time period. Sometime before 2347 the Cardassians
attempted to expand into Federation territory and
war broke out, lasting around twenty years. CaptainEdward Jellico
spearheaded successful attempts by Starfleet to negotiate a peace treaty which
ended the war.

Shortly after the Cardassians withdrew from Bajor, a Federation
presence was established aboard Terok Nor, renamed Deep Space Nine, to
assist the Bajoran Provisional Government in rebuilding Bajor. However,
the Federation officers discovered a wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant close to the station ("Emissary"). Roughly four months later, the
Federation-Cardassian borders were redefined, with the two sides
buffered by a demilitarized zone. However, the new
border treaty gave Cardassia control of several worlds inhabited by
Federation colonists and the Federation colonies inhabited by
Cardassians. Disgruntled colonists in the area, feeling that their
opinions and wishes had been ignored by both sides, formed a
resistance movement known as the Maquis.

Dominion
membership

Then, sometime between October 2372 and February 2373, with a
Dominion attack on Deep Space Nine imminent, Gul Dukat announced the
Cardassian Union's entry into the Dominion, shocking not only the
Federation but most Cardassians as well. At the same time, Gul
Dukat announced his ascension as leader of the Cardassian Union.
Five days later, nearly the entire Maquis movement was slaughtered by
the Dominion (except for those on the USS Voyager, that was lost in the
Delta Quadrant at the time). Otherwise,
nearly all the other Maquis who had not died were in Federation
prisons.

The Cardassians (as members of the Dominion) captured DS9 ("Call to
Arms"), but the Federation managed to block the Bajoran wormhole with self-replicating
mines, preventing the Dominion from sending reinforcements from the
Gamma Quadrant.

Gul Damar discovered a way to disable the
self-replication of the mines and completed the procedure and fired
on the minefield seconds before Rom and Kira disabled DS9's weapons in hopes to
prevent just that. The USS
Defiant attacked DS9 and managed to take it back when
the Bajoran Prophets destroyed an entire
Dominion fleet, sent to reinforce Dominion lines, on its way
through the wormhole. Gul Dukat was captured after his daughter Ziyal
was killed by Gul Damar, who was then promoted to Legate
("Sacrifice of Angels").

Under the leadership of Damar, the Cardassian Union, along with
the Dominion, continued to gain ground over the Klingon-Federation alliance, and even after Benjamin Sisko
and Garak
tricked the Romulans into
breaking their nonaggression treaty with the Dominion and joining
the alliance ("In the Pale Moonlight") they
still managed to keep the upper hand.

A major figure in Cardassian history is Tret Akleen, revered as
the "father" of the Cardassian Union. During the Dominion War,
Akleen's family home lay in Dominion-controlled space; Elim Garak suggested that
recapturing it would lead to a major propaganda victory for Federation forces. ("Tears of the Prophets")

Opposition to the
Dominion

Damar, however, was not happy. While he had hoped that
Cardassia's joining the Dominion would strengthen their power, he
felt that they were no longer in control of even their own planet,
having to report to the Dominion representative Weyoun and the Founders,
and Cardassian troops were being sacrificed seemingly meaninglessly
without his permission. For a time, Damar sank into heavy drinking.
Shortly after the Breen joined
the Dominion, almost guaranteeing the Dominion's victory, Damar
organized a revolt but was betrayed by a man he approached in order
to bring into the conspiracy. A Cardassian named Broca became
Legate and puppet ruler of Cardassia with his information, and
after treason within the Revolt, the Dominion crushed it and forced
Damar into hiding.

The revolt started out as just a small legion of troops headed
by Damar, but during the final assault on The Dominion over
Cardassia Prime by the Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance, Damar
managed to get an open revolt started on Cardassia itself. In
response to Cardassian citizens engaging in acts sabotage, the
Dominion punished the Cardassians by destroying Lakarian City killing millions of men,
women, and children in the process of reducing it to ashes. As a
result, the Cardassian fleet switched sides during battle and
assisted the alliance, opening a hole in the Dominion lines and
forcing the Jem'Hadar
and the Breen to establish a new
defense perimeter around Cardassia Prime
itself. When word of the fleet's defection reached the Dominion
command center, the Female Changeling
ordered every Cardassian on the planet killed.

With the Cardassian fleet helping the alliance and the rebel's
attack on the Dominion headquarters on Cardassia, the Dominion
surrendered, ending the Dominion War.

The Cardassian cost due to the Dominion War was the highest of
all the major powers. The homeworld was severely damaged by the
Dominion, whose Founders ordered a "scorched earth" approach to the
Cardassians' homeworld for their betrayal during the final battle
of the war. The long term effect on the ecology of the planet
remains to be seen. Over 800 million Cardassians died on Cardassia
alone. Several non-canon sources have placed the pre-war population
at around seven billion, and with the canonically established
Cardassian emphasis on the family unit, the race is safe from
extinction.

Alternate
versions

Mirror universe
Cardassians

In the Mirror Universe, the
Cardassians formed an alliance with the Klingon Empire in order to conquer the Terran Empire. Beyond that, the Cardassians
of the Mirror universe appear to be more or less identical to their
more familiar counterparts.

Future
Cardassians

In the Voyager episodes "Futures End", Captain Braxton, after
having been thrown into the 20th century, describes a police
officer as being a "quasi-Cardassian totalitarian".

Reception
and impact

In cosmology, the
Cardassian expansion is a modification to the Friedmann
equations. It is named after the fictional Star Trek race by
the original authors, Katherine Freese and Matthew Lewis
(2002). In their paper (which has been cited more than 280 times,
see e.g. [3]), a footnote on
the "Cardassian term" states:

“

2 The name
Cardassian refers to a humanoid race in Star Trek whose goal is to
take over the universe, i.e., accelerated expansion. This race
looks foreign to us and yet is made entirely of matter.